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International Education: Diplomacy in China

The Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China has been active on the international education front in recent years. High-level officials of the government body have been meeting with foreign political leaders, education ministers and ambassadors, chancellors and presidents of American universities, executives of multinational corporations, heads of international fellowship programs, and others to strengthen international education cooperation and exchange. They have also been speaking at conferences and meetings such as the 2009 China-United States Science Experts meeting, the Working Conference on Study in China, the China-Australia Higher Education Forum, and the 2010 Annual Conference of China Association for International Education. Other activities have included signing memoranda of understanding with foreign governments and companies on matters such as research, technology transfer, and personnel training, as well as attending a groundbreaking ceremony for the creation of a new university in Shanghai between U.S. and Chinese partners.1 One way to think of these activities is in terms of education diplomacy. They are part of an effort by the Chinese government to use international education activities